Trimming Health Care Costs When the Patient Is a Pet

Carrie Poff, left, a New Rochelle, N.Y., vet, prepares to spay a dog. Dana Rocco, humane society manager, is at right.Credit
Ángel Franco/The New York Times

I LAST wrote about pets, oh, about a year ago, when we had just adopted a hamster for my son instead of the puppy he really wanted.

The hamster, sadly, suffered an early death from cancer three months after we got her. And it so happened that right around that time, a neighbor was giving away some adorable kittens and we found ourselves with two, Archie and Lily.

I should have been prepared. I knew, from researching a previous column, that cat owners spend about $1,200 on their pets annually (for dogs, it is almost double that). When I added up our food and health care bills for the last year (when they needed all their shots, and spaying and neutering), that number was right on target.

But as our economic situation became tighter, I began dreading the veterinarian bills. When Archie sprained his foot in March, we had to pay almost $500 for office visits, X-rays, consultations and antibiotics. Worse, the paw didn’t seem to be getting better and the veterinarian mentioned possible surgery. I wondered how long we could continue financing this.

“We’ve always gotten calls from time to time from people needing help paying for critical care for animals, but it’s really spiked in the last six months,” said Dana Rocco, manager of the New Rochelle, N.Y., Humane Society. Even more worrisome, she said, is that pet owners are delaying spaying or neutering their animals because of the cost.

“Our concern is that we’re going to see a chain reaction,” Ms. Rocco said. “We’re going to see resulting litters six or nine months down the line.”

As a last resort, she said, as evictions increase in the area, people are turning in their pets to her shelter.

Animals cost money, and anyone who does not take that into consideration probably should stick to something low maintenance, like a goldfish or a teddy bear. But I have found that there are ways to bring down the expenses.

First, adopting from a shelter is a good idea, not just because you are rescuing a pet but because in most cases, all shots, and sometimes even microchips, state dog licenses and some training, can be included in one adoption price. At the New Rochelle shelter, that is $152 for dogs and $90 for cats. Any animal over 4 months old is also spayed or neutered.

If, like us, you got your animal from a private home or bought him from a pet shop or a breeder, you have to pay all that. It particularly hit home when it was time to spay and neuter our cats. Our veterinarian gave me a price close to $1,000 for both.

I blanched. The first thing I did was ask if they could offer me any kind of discount. He came down a few hundred dollars, but it was still too much.

So I went searching and found several options. The ASPCA (aspca.org) and the nonprofit groups, Happy Tails (happytails.org) or Friends of Animals (friendsofanimals.org), offer information about low-cost spaying and neutering options in your area. I received guidance through our local shelter and ended up paying less than $200 for both our cats.

Some states, like New York, also have subsidy programs. Through the Animal Population Control Program — part of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets — you have to pay only $30 if you adopt your animal through an approved shelter or humane society or qualify as a low-income family.

What about pet insurance? When Archie looked as if he might go on permanent disability, I started leafing through the pet insurance brochures at my veterinarian’s, wondering if this was an option.

Well, not for that particular injury, because it was, of course, a pre-existing condition. But still, had I thought about it, I might have considered buying it when we first adopted the cats because, for about $400 to $500 a cat each year — minus deductibles — we could be covered for both wellness care and accident or illness. That would be less than we paid out of pocket.

The insurance companies I checked out offered similar premiums, although deductibles varied. So it is worth investigating.

But there are also forms to fill out for reimbursement, not something any of us look forward to. And there are exclusions or higher costs depending on the health and age of the pet. That is one of the reasons Consumer Reports does not recommend buying pet insurance.

If your pet needs major surgery running into thousands of dollars, you will be glad you have it, but “checkup costs alone don’t justify insurance,” according to Consumer Reports.

Noting that the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association reports that an average surgical visit to a veterinarian is $363 for a cat and $453 for a dog, Consumer Reports suggests that it may be better to put the amount you would spend in premiums in an interest-bearing account.

That’s great if you are really organized. But I don’t think it’s a bad idea to check into pet insurance, especially in the animal’s first year.

All this raises the question: Why does veterinary care cost so much?

“There has been a huge sea change in the type of technology available to the average practitioner in the past 5 to 10 years,” said Kim Roellke, a veterinarian who practices in Dutchess County, N.Y. “Now there’s technology that’s greatly enhanced our diagnostic ability. Vets want to maintain or achieve that incredible standard of care, and with that, prices skyrocket.”

But just as with human health care, how do you balance optimal care with cost?

“Ethically, it’s a really hard question,” Dr. Roellke said. “Some will say if you can’t take care of a pet, then you shouldn’t have one. But does that mean you can pay thousands for back surgery for your dog?”

Dr. Roellke said that there were usually “two or three very valid options” for treating a problem, and that when faced with an expensive decision, you should ask your veterinarian for all the alternatives.

I leave you with two final cost-saving ideas that I learned while researching this column. If you buy a cat or dog from a pet store or breeder, your pet may be covered by a lemon law. At least 18 states, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, have legislation that allows you to recoup some or all the cost of the pet and veterinary bills ranging from seven days to two years after its purchase, depending on the state and the animal’s problem. You can find out more on the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Web site (avma.org).

And finally, you might consider medical tourism for your pet. A friend of mine was told it would cost around $1,000 to clean her two dogs’ teeth in the New York area. Since her family was planning a trip to North Carolina with the pets, she checked out the cost there. It was less than half, and her dogs ended up with shiny white teeth and a vacation.

E-mail: shortcuts@nytimes.com

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B6 of the New York edition with the headline: Trimming Health Care Costs When the Patient Is a Pet. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe